While Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon’s decision to start junior guard/forward Dez Wells at point guard when the season began was made due in part to the fact that Wells was Maryland’s best playmaker, the decision may have done more harm than good in the early going.

For some point guards understanding the balance between setting up their teammates and scoring themselves can be difficult, much less a player who didn’t play the position in the season prior. That issue ultimately slowed down Wells, and ultimately the decision was made to start freshman Roddy Peters at the position ahead of their game at Boston College on Thursday night. And the move paid off for the Terrapins, as Wells scored 22 of his career-high 33 points in the second half of Maryland’s 88-80 victory.

Wells was near unstoppable in the game’s final seven minutes, scoring 18 points and personally outscoring Boston College 18-16 during that stretch. Boston College tried both Joe Rahon and Garland Owens on Wells, but to no avail. However regardless of BC’s defensive issues or their lack of a player capable of containing Wells, it became even more apparent that an aggressive Wells results in a more productive Maryland.

Wells’ offensive rating of 141.7 was his best of the season to date, and his free throw rate against Boston College (61.1) was as high as it has been since the season opener against UConn. As a team the Terrapins, who had four other players score at least nine points, scored a season-high 1.33 points per possession and shot 55.2% from the field. Having a player like Wells in attack mode can open up things for the other players on the floor, and that was especially evident in the second half.

While it would be a bit unreasonable to expect Wells to score 30 points or more every night, it isn’t unreasonable to expect him to be the player who serves as the catalyst for the Terrapins on the offensive end. With one conference win under their belts, Maryland’s going to need that kind of aggression from Wells night in and night out when ACC play resumes in January.